The Adventures of Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark / The Temple of Doom / The Last Crusade / Bonus Material)

In 1981, Steven Spielberg (Jaws) and George Lucas (Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope ) reinvented the pulp adventure genre that they had fallen in love with during their youth. Their film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, was the perfect tribute to Saturday matinee serials and boys' adventure magazines. Not only did Spielberg and Lucas create the greatest action film in decades (and perhaps in the history of American movies), but they also introduced movie audiences to the greatest adventure hero since the days of Allan Quatermain, Tarzan, and Doc Savage. Harrison Ford, who lent his devil-may-care attitude to the globetrotting archaeologist, embodied Indiana Jones as no other actor could. Raiders of the Lost Ark became more than a blockbuster; it was the birth of an American icon and the first chapter in one of the greatest film franchises ever.Raiders of the Lost Ark - 1981Adventurer and archaeologist, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) searches for the fabled Lost Ark of the Covenant while being pursued by insidious Nazis and their vile henchmen. Along the way he reunites with his former lover, the feisty Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) and confronts charming, treasure-hunting rival, Belloq (Paul Freeman). Indiana also encounters tarantulas, poisonous serpents, a deadly Arab swordsman, and a host of other perils and pitfalls, all of which he overcomes with a sly grin. But can even this daring heroic figure survive the lure and the power of the legendary Lost Ark?After the huge success, both commercial and critical, of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas set out to tell a second fantastic Indiana Jones story. However, this time they decided to use darker thematic material and in so doing caused some controversy. When Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was released in 1984, it became immediately apparent that the film was darker and, in all likelihood, too violent and intense for children. The film utilized elements of pulp adventure stories, as had Raiders of the Lost Ark, but there was a greater emphasis on violence and horror. Many critics accused the film of being too extreme and even disturbing, and said that it lacked the spirit of fun that made the first film so accessible. Despite the negative reviews, no one could deny the film's commercial appeal or its originality.Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - 1984After narrowly escaping from Asian gangsters, Indiana Jones, his young sidekick Short Round (Ke Huy Quan), and ditzy American singer Wilhelmina "Willie" Scott (Kate Capshaw) find themselves stranded in a small village in India. They soon take notice that there are no children in the village and they are told that the children were taken by a cult that worships the Goddess of Death, Kali. Indiana Jones finds connections between the story of the missing children and old legends of sacred stones that hold great power. He, Short Round, and Willie Scott go to Pankot Palace, where they discover that the cult has taken over the palace using a supernatural method of brainwashing, voodoo practices, ritualistic human sacrifice, and worse... they've enslaved the villagers' children. Can Indiana Jones find the sacred stones, stop the cult, and return the stolen children to their parents?In 1989, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas released their third Indiana Jones film. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was a more light-hearted adventure with the welcome addition of Sean Connery as Indiana's father, Prof. Henry Jones. The film relied heavily on action and comedy, and was at times overly formulaic and reminiscent of the first Indiana Jones film. Despite some flaws in the script, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade became another mega-hit and provided the characters with a wonderful finale (which has since been rendered moot by the decision to make more Indy films) where they actually ride off into the sunset.Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - 1989After his father, Prof. Henry Jones (Sean Connery), goes missing during his search for the Holy Grail, Indiana Jones teams up with Elsa (Alison Doody), an Austrian researcher to find him. When Indiana Jones rescues Prof. Jones from the Nazis, he discovers that Elsa is a traitor and that the Nazis are close to uncovering the resting place of the Holy Grail, which has the power to give whoever drinks from it immortality. Can Indiana Jones and his father beat the Nazis in this epic race between good and evil?These three films form one of the most successful trilogies of all time, and it's no wonder that Indiana Jones is still in the public eye after all of these years. The three films feature an extraordinary cast including Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliott, Kate Capshaw, Ke Huy Quan, Amrish Puri, Sean Connery, Alison Doody, Julian Glover, and River Phoenix.Besides the wonderful cast, one of the main reasons for the longevity of the Indiana Jones series are the action set pieces, which include some of the most memorable stunts ever captured on film. Who can forget the first time that they saw Indy skillfully swing across a chasm using his trusty bullwhip, or outrunning a giant boulder, or survive being in a room full of lethally venomous asps, or being chased by cult members in a mine cart, or cutting a bridge in half while he's still on it, or chasing an armored tank while on horseback? As you can see there's no limit to his adventures.Since his debut, Indiana Jones has been emulated and imitated, but never duplicated. The quality of the writing, the direction, the acting, the production design, and the stunt work are unmatched by any other films within the genre. The series is also given an emotional resonance with the help of John William's brilliant theme music and scores. Though the series, much like Indiana Jones himself, has seen its share of ups and downs, it will undoubtedly go down in cinematic history as the greatest adventure films ever made.The Adventures of Indiana Jones- The Complete DVD Movie Collection contains Indy's first three classic films, which have been gloriously restored and remastered for maximum video and audio quality. Also included in this excellent 4-disc set are the following bonus materials: the comprehensive three-part documentary Making the Trilogy, The Stunts of Indiana Jones featurette, The Sound of Indiana Jones featurette, The Music of Indiana Jones featurette, The Light and magic of Indiana Jones featurette, theatrical trailers for all three films, and access to exclusive online features.I think it's safe to say that the man in the hat will be around for many more years to come.Also recommended:The Tarzan CollectionKing KongSheJungle JimCasablancaThe Treasure of the Sierra MadreKing Solomon's MinesLawrence of Arabia

In 1977, theater audiences were mesmerized by George Lucas's exciting sci-fi film "Star Wars", and the popularity of one of its actors, Harrison Ford (who played the swashbuckling smuggler Han Solo), was raised considerably. When its sequel, "Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back", was released three years later, Harrison Ford's character took center stage, which only further raised his career status. Having acted in three of George Lucas's films up to that point (including the 1973 "American Graffitti"), as well as two of Francis Ford Coppola's films ("The Conversation" in 1974 and "Apocalypse Now" in 1979), Harrison Ford proved himself to be the ideal candidate to portray George Lucas's latest creation: a swashbuckling, whip-waving archeologist. In 1981, under the direction of the Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford drew huge audiences to see his first top-billed starring role as the swashbuckling archeologist named Indiana Jones in "Raiders of the Lost Ark". This was followed three years later with its sequel "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and the final installment in 1989 entitled "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade".George Lucas based his fictional "Raiders of the Lost Ark" upon the biblical Jewish story of the ark (essentially a box that could be carried with long polls by Jewish priests) that supposedly contained the original tablets that the well-known "ten commandments" had been inscribed. Consequently (as the biblical stories describe), it was the most sacred Jewish relic that was eventually housed in the first Jewish temple in Jerusalem until its destruction at the hands of the Babylonians circa 600 B.C.E. From that time onward, its whereabouts and fate have remained a mystery. In "Raiders of the Lost Ark", mid-1930's Nazis are laboriously searching for the ark so that they can use its mythological powers to help their troops win battles if it is carried in front of their troops. At his U.S. university, Indiana Jones, who had just returned from a death-defying attempt to retrieve a sacred tribal object, is enlisted to find the ark before the Nazis can. What follows is an exciting and engaging series of events that pits Indiana Jones and the woman Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) against the Nazis, who are being lead by a rival archeologist, Dr. Rene Belloq (Paul Freeman). Jones is assisted by his Middle Eastern friend Sallah (John Rhys-Davies), but his friend Dr. Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott, 1922-1992) remains in the U.S.George Lucas's 1984 sequel "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom", also directed by Steven Spielberg, was not as well-received by audiences as "Raiders of the Lost Ark". This may be due in part because the film was based loosely upon misunderstood Hindu mythology and also because of an often-annoying child-sidekick for Indiana Jones named Short Round (Jonathan Ke Quan). After escaping from Shanghai, China with Short Round and an American singer named Wilhelmina 'Willie' Scott (Kate Capshaw), their plane crashes in India and come to the assistance of a very poor village whose sacred stone has been stolen and its children kidnapped. The sacred stone, or Siva-linga (in reality, only part of a Siva-linga), is a representation of the Hindu God of creation named Siva (or Shiva). Those that stole it worship the dark Hindu Goddess of Kali, who is the dark form of Siva's consort, Parvati. In one Hindu mythology, Kali leads a battle to defeat the demon Raktabija; but in defeating the demon, Kali becomes drunk with its blood to prevent it from touching the ground and creating more demons. She, the Dark Mother, is extensively worshipped throughout India as creator, protector and destroyer. Though seemingly contradictory, she teaches that life cannot exist without death. Hence, the depiction in the film that her worshippers are inherently evil is incorrect. Instead, she is viewed by her worshippers to protect them from fear and give them limitless peace.Lucas's final 1989 sequel, "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", was much better received than its predecessor by returning to a more familiar mythology of the "holy grail" and with no child-sidekick. Instead, Jones must rescue his father, Professor Henry Jones (Sean Connery), who was kidnapped by the Nazis that want to obtain the holy grail that he has spent his life searching for. The grail (a cup) is believed to be a relic from Jesus' last supper that grants immortality to anyone who drinks from it. With assistance from returning characters Sallah (John Rhys-Davies) and Marcus Brody (Denholm Elliott, 1922-1992), Jones travels across Europe and the Middle East to solve the riddle of the grail's location against Walter Donovan (Julian Glover) and the deceptive, but beautiful Dr. Elsa Schneider (Alison Doody). Included in this film is an understanding of how Jones got his hat, his love of bullwhips and his ophidiophobia.Overall, I rate the 4-disk "The Adventures of Indiana Jones DVD Set" with 5 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it to everyone. It's a great set of films that can be watched again and again without becoming tiresome.